Quick Info

  • Servings: 2
  • Total time: about 40 minutes
  • Prep: 10 minutes
  • Cooking: 30 minutes (the rice cooks in parallel)
  • Tools: large skillet, pot, bowl, grater

Ingredients

  • Soy strips: 180g (6.3 oz), ready to cook (I use the ones from Eurospin or Garden Gourmet Sensational)
  • Basmati rice: 120g (4.2 oz)
  • Coconut milk: 165g (5.8 oz) (80g/2.8 oz for the first addition, 85g/3.0 oz for the second)
  • Carrots: about 100g (3.5 oz) (no need to be precise)
  • Zucchini: about 100g (3.5 oz) (no need to be precise)
  • Scallion: about 15g (0.5 oz) (no need to be precise)
  • Vegetable or olive oil: 4 tablespoons
  • Soy sauce: 1 scant tablespoon
  • Curry powder: 2 teaspoons, preferably tikka-style (1 scant teaspoon for the first addition, 1 heaping teaspoon for the second)
  • (Optional) Fresh ginger: ⅓ teaspoon, grated
  • (Optional) Lemongrass: ¼ teaspoon
  • Fine salt: 1 pinch for the carrots (plus another pinch at the end, to taste, after tasting)
  • Coarse salt: ½ teaspoon for the rice
Curry soy strips with carrots and zucchini over basmati rice, on an orange plate

Method

  1. Put the water on to boil. Fill a pot with salted water to cook the 120g (4.2 oz) of basmati rice, and bring it to a boil with the lid on.

  2. Soak the rice. Pour the 120g (4.2 oz) of basmati rice into a bowl, cover it with fresh water, and let it soak.

  3. Prep the vegetables while the rice soaks. Cut the 100g (3.5 oz) of carrots and 100g (3.5 oz) of zucchini into matchsticks lengthwise, then cut them in half to shorten them. Thinly slice the 15g (0.5 oz) of scallion. If using ginger, grate ⅓ teaspoon.

  4. Soften the scallion. Pour 4 tablespoons of oil into a skillet, add the 15g (0.5 oz) of scallion, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until it starts to soften without browning.

  5. Add the carrots. Add the 100g (3.5 oz) of carrots to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir well to coat them in the oil and keep tossing with a spatula or spoon — at this heat they can burn easily. If they darken too fast, lower the heat slightly.

  6. Season the carrots. Once they start taking on a little color, add 1 pinch of fine salt. Keep stirring until the matchsticks start to feel a bit more tender and flexible.

  7. Add the zucchini. Add the 100g (3.5 oz) of zucchini, briefly raising the heat if it cools down the pan. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring constantly as you did with the carrots, then add 1 scant tablespoon of soy sauce.

  8. Add the spices. Stir in 1 scant teaspoon of curry powder and, if using, the grated ginger and ¼ teaspoon of lemongrass. Mix to coat the vegetables.

  9. Add the soy strips. Shake the 165g (5.8 oz) package of coconut milk well before opening it. Lower the heat to medium, pour in the first 80g (2.8 oz) of coconut milk, and add the 180g (6.3 oz) of soy strips. Stir to combine them with the vegetables.

  10. Cook the rice. At this point, add ½ teaspoon of coarse salt to the boiling water and pour in the 120g (4.2 oz) of drained, soaked rice. Cook uncovered for the time indicated on the package, tasting it a few minutes before the end since soaking can shorten the cooking time.

  11. Finish the sauce. Add the remaining 85g (3.0 oz) of coconut milk to the soy strips along with 1 heaping teaspoon of curry powder. Bring to medium-low heat and keep cooking, stirring often, until the soy strips are nice and hot and the sauce coats them without drying out completely. Also follow any cooking times indicated on the soy strips package.

  12. Taste. Taste a soy strip along with some vegetables and sauce. If needed, add another pinch of fine salt and stir.

  13. Serve. Drain the rice as soon as it’s cooked and divide it between two plates, alongside the soy strips with vegetables and curry sauce.